Child Of Light
by Nikichanx
Summary: An Exorcist from the Asian Branch transfers to the European Division of the Black Order. She has no idea of her life before her recruitment into the Order, yet when her dark past catches up to her, young Eleni will have to decide between her life and saving the ones she truly loves. OCXLavi, slight AllenXLenalee . Romantic rivalries in later chapters!
1. Strawberry Pink

**Chapter One**

**"Strawberry Pink"**

* * *

Her deep brown eyes cast over the streets of the empty town. With the villagers asleep in their cozy beds and the dim street lights giving off a subtle faint glow, the area seemed to be peaceful enough. Despite this, though, she knew these were the exact moments when things were more likely to go wrong. She knew these were the exact moments when Akuma loved to strike.

As she slowly made her way down the sidewalk, she passed a broken mirror that lay beside an old abandoned building. She stared into her reflection. The curls of her strawberry pink hair fell loosely past her shoulders and her pale skin seemed to glisten in the moon's light. She adjusted her rose colored glasses; the presence of another could be felt several feet away.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed through the streets. Without hesitation, she made her move. Rounding the sharp corner of the nearby building, she came to an abrupt halt. Quivering before her was a girl with light brown hair that fell into a loose bun. Her eyes traced the girl's gaze to the Akuma that hovered above.

"Akuma." She breathed just loud enough for the strange creature to take immediate notice of her. It turned it's round, distorted body toward her._"What is more powerful than god and more evil than the devil, poor people have it and the rich don't?"_ it moaned, it's face contorted. "Please save me!" screamed the brown-haired girl. The Akuma launched forward. _"Enough!_"

"Innocence…Activate." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Calmly, she extended her arm and a bright light filled the sky. A large, sword-like weapon now appeared in her a hand. Without a second thought, she leaped forward and dodged the Akuma's attack. She seized her moment and quickly sliced the Akuma in half. The creature roared in pain as smoke filled the air. Within seconds, the Akuma was now gone completely.

She grinned. The thrill of fighting Akuma always gave her a bit of a rush. She shook her head and studied her surroundings. The brown-haired girl from before was now gone and the streets were once again quiet. As she stood alone on the cobblestone pavement, thoughts of her life several years ago flashed before her:

A young girl, scared and alone, roamed the crowded streets. As she passed the faceless figures, not one seemed to take notice of her presence. _Why am I alone? Who am I? _Her past was a mystery. She had no idea who she was or where she came from. The crowd then opened up and a man with long gray hair emerged. She looked up to him as he reached out to her. "Come, my child." he whispered.

Several years ago, she had no idea of what her true purpose was. This lifestyle she now lived would have been strange, foreign, and even something possibly dreamed up in complete fantasy. Now, however, she knew her purpose was for one thing and one thing only: _To fight Akuma._

A sudden beeping noise filled her ears. She reached to the side of her rose-colored glasses and pressed a small button. "Eleni here." she said in a lowered voice. "What is it?"

"We need you back at Headquarters immediately." said a man's voice. A unsettling pause followed.

"General Yeegar has been killed."

* * *

"W-What happened here?!"

A girl with long green pigtails stared at the scene before her in awe. Standing beside her, a lean, muscular boy with snow white hair and an unusual scar also stood speechless. A man whom appeared to be a police officer strolled over to them. He stroked his long, curled mustache as he attempted to gather an explanation.

"It's been reported that a strange creature with what appeared to be many 'gun barrels' attacked this town the other night."

The boy and girl both exchanged looks. "It had to be an Akuma." the boy with the strange mark concluded. His name was Allen Walker and both him and the girl that stood beside him, Lenalee Lee, were members of the European Branch of the Black Order. Lenalee nodded in response. She then turned to the police officer. "We'll begin our survey of the area as soon as possible."

The officer smiled. "That won't be necessary little lady." He paused and adjusted his hat. "The Black Order already assigned someone to take care of it. Came by last night."

"Last night?" repeated Allen giving Lenalee a confused look. "Do you know anything about that?"

Lenalee shook her head. "No…I think Komui would have told me."

"Well I guess you two came here for nothing, huh." laughed the officer. Both Allen and Lenalee let out a heavy sigh. Not only did the trip take a four hour train ride, but it had supposedly been Allen's only day off. The two Exorcists trudged their way back to the train, now awaiting their trip back to Headquarters.

* * *

"She isn't taking this too good."

A tall man with white hair crossed his arms and sighed heavily. He looked out the window as he collected his thoughts. "It'll be a while before she'll be back to normal."

Another man stood beside him. He had messy brown hair and dark eyes. The sleeves of his white coat were rolled up. "We should talk to her or something." he proposed turning to the taller man, whom just simply shook his head.

"Eleni isn't the type to deal with death very well. It's best to just leave her alone."

* * *

Eleni kicked the punching bag filled with grain once more. She caught her breath as she wiped the beads of sweat that accumulated on her forehead. It had been several days since she received the news of Yeegar's death and beating the crap out of the make-shift punching bag seemed like the best way to calm her anger.

Floating beside her was a small light purple creature with four, stubby legs and two feathered wings. It seemed to be taken aback by the emotions of the girl.

"Aren't you tired?" came a voice from the door.

Eleni looked over to see a slender man with short messy blonde hair giving her a crooked smile. "Why don't you ever get tired like a normal human being." he said crossing his arms.

Eleni ignored the man and continued to kick and punch the sand bag. He smiled and walked over to the pink-haired girl. "I have your reassignment." He reached into his white coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Eleni turned to him and reached for the parchment. She studied the small print.

"The European Branch?"

The man nodded. "You're requested there immediately by Chief Komui. Please, make sure you leave immediately."

Eleni frowned and folded the paper in half. She walked back to the punching bag and took a deep breath. She positioned herself in her fighting position and let out several more punches. The man with blonde hair smiled and turned back toward the door.

"Don't disappoint me, Eleni-chan."

* * *

Back at the Order work had been extremely slow for the last few days. The death of General Yeegar had everyone taken off guard, yet things were slowly turning back to normal. Allen had just finished his morning meal when a sudden loud commotion could be heard coming from down the corridor. Allen raised his eyebrows, pushed his plate aside and headed toward the noise.

In the room, papers of different sorts were scattered across the floor. As usual it was impossible to find anything in the messy landfill of documents. Several members of the Order ran back and forth, all cleaning and organizing. Amongst them, were two distinct men, Reever and Johnny.

"What's going on?" said Allen approaching the two fellow members.

Reever sighed. "Apparently Boss is expecting someone today. Wants us to clean up the place." The tone of his voice indicated a possible motive behind the visit.

"No, no, no!" exclaimed the whiney voice of Komui Lee, the Chief Officer and head of the European Branch under which Allen worked. "All of this is a complete mess!"

"_Mess!"_ he repeated, exaggerating his point.

"Brother's freaking out more than usual today." came a soft voice from behind.

Allen turned around and saw Lenalee step forward. In her hands she carried several folders that seemed to hold some significant value. She walked over beside him and placed them on the desk.

"Apparently this person is kind of a big deal." she explained giving off a smile.

"Enough!" shouted Komui thrusting forward. "We will turn over all cleaning to Komlin IV!" A mischievous grin spread across his face as he adjusted his glasses.

Lenalee pushed her plotting brother aside. "There's no need for that garbage! We're perfectly capable of cleaning up ourselves!" she snapped.

"Is this visitor really that big a deal?" asked Allen turning back to Reever and Johnny.

"It's needless to say. Whenever we get visitors from other branches it never means something good." replied Johnny, adjusting his glasses.

Komui ran over to Lenalee and dropped to his knees. "But Lenalee!~" he whined.

"No 'but's'!" shouted Lenalee turning away from him. She gathered several more papers on the desk and stacked them neatly.

"In that case…" Komui shot back up and faced the members whom stood quietly awaiting instructions. Men!" he said snapping his fingers. "I demand to see this place ship shape!"

"Yes sir!" cried out everyone.

Almost immediately, members of the Order sprinted back and forth, cleaning and tidying up every nook and cranny. Allen, too, even joined in the attempt. He looked over to Lenalee whom continued to stack papers together. "Hey, do you know who this visit could be?"

Lenalee looked up and smiled. "Not exactly. Although Komui's the Branch Chief and my brother, he still never seems to tell me about anything important. All I know is he or she is from the Asian Division"

Allen sighed as he looked back over to his fellow members that still rushed to clean up. Suddenly, a heavy knock echoed through the Headquarter building. Komui jumped up. "They're here!" he cried.

Everyone paused in their tracks. An uneasy silence fell through the room as the door slowly creaked open. As everyone braced themselves for the entrance, a young, red-haired boy appeared with a large grin on his face.

"Hey all!" he exclaimed.

Everyone stared at the boy in awe, each with their own dumbfounded look painted across their face. Allen stepped forward. "L-Lavi? What are you doing here?"

Lavi waltzed over to his good friend, not even bothering to disguise the amused look in his eyes. "Just wanted to visit my ol' pal!" he said cheerfully patting Allen on the back.

Lenalee covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh no.."

"Lavi!" shouted an enraged Komui. "_GET OUT_!"

Komui seized the red-head by his shirt collar and flung him to the side, causing him to crash into several desks and onto the floor. Papers and books flew into the air. Both Allen and Lenalee's jaw dropped slightly. The mood in the room seemed to immediately shift from pure seriousness to a sense of relief. Lavi, still sprawled out on the ground, remained out cold.

* * *

Meanwhile, storming the corridor was Yu Kanda, another fellow Exorcist whom preferred to work alone. He stalked into one of the rooms and closed the door behind him with a loud slam. Halfway into the room he came to a sudden pause.

"Come out." he scowled eyeing the mysterious figure in the corner.

"Well, aren't you as impressive as ever." A black mass of clothes sat cross-legged on the couch. It's piercing brown eyes narrowed as it studied the Exorcist's movements and a flash of grinning white teeth emerged from the dark shadows. Kanda made his way to the window blinds and pulled them open, letting in a ray of sunlight. The shadowy figure was now revealed to be Eleni whom appeared to be shooting the fellow Exorcist a confident grin.

"What are you doing here?" asked Kanda, glaring at the girl. Eleni stood up from the couch and crossed her arms.

"It's been a while, Kanda Yu."


	2. Welcome to the Order

**Chapter Two**

**"Welcome to the Order!"**

* * *

"So, what do you do for fun around here?"

The strawberry-pink haired girl strolled around the office lifting and inspecting various objects that sat on the wall shelves, her face somewhat bored. The small, purple golem floated beside her, curious as to just what the objects were. Beside the window stood a serious Kanda; his hand touching the hilt of Mugen lightly.

Just then, the knob of the door began to jiggle and the door swung violently. An enraged Komui, followed by Allen, Lenalee, and Lavi appeared in the threshold. Kanda rolled his eyes at the sight of his fellow exorcists. Eleni eyed Komui and frowned. "It's about _time_ you got here."

"Eleni-chan!" sang Komui as he ran to greet the girl. He opened his arms as he skipped happily toward her. Eleni stepped to the side, dodging the Chief's offered hug and causing him to trip over the desk and crash onto the floor.

"Eleni-chan?" repeated both Allen and Lenalee exchanging looks. Red-head Lavi, however, appeared mesmerized. "S-STRIKE!" he cheered. Allen and Lenalee sighed heavily.

"I managed to enter your Headquarters without even the slightest detection by your members." She leaned up against the desk and crossed her arms. "Maybe you should consider enhancing your security."

Komui rose up from behind his desk. "Ah Eleni! You never change do you!" he said with a beaming grin. Eleni rolled her eyes. "You've requested my presence?" she said in an attempt to change the subject.

"Who is she?" whispered Allen leaning over to Lenalee. "I think she's from the Asian Branch." Lenalee whispered back.

"No way, _she's _from the Asian branch?" exclaimed Allen rather impressed. The two turned over to Lavi, whom still appeared to be eyeing her dreamily.

"That's right!" cheered Komui standing up straight. He grinned. "Dear Eleni, allow me to introduce you to my darling sister Lenalee!"

"Nice to finally meet you!" said Lenalee sweetly.

"It's nice to meet you too." replied Eleni nodding. Komui smiled and turned to Kanda. "And of course you've already met Kanda some time ago!" he beamed as Kanda clenched his teeth. Allen cleared his throat as if to indicate his presence. Komui sighed. "Oh, and this is Allen Walker and Lavi."

A smug smirk formed on Eleni's face and a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "Allen Walker?"she said arching one of her eyebrows. Allen swallowed nervously. "Y-Yes?"

Eleni's serious demeanor changed to a much lighter expression. "I've heard a lot about you-_both _of you. I'm Eleni." she pointed over to the floating golem beside her. "This is Hemera, my partner." She then turned attention to the red-head Lavi, whom had still continued to stare at her for the past several minutes. "Can i _help_ you?" she snapped.

Lavi grinned perversely. "I'm Lavi! Nice to meet ya' toots!"

"_Toots_?" repeated Eleni growing annoyed. "Now, now!" said Komui jumping in and separating the two. "Let's all calm down."

Eleni rolled her eyes at the boy and turned back to Komui. "What's this all about Chief. Why have you requested me?"

Komui let out a laugh. "Eleni you're as impatient as ever!" He walked over to his desk. "I'll explain to you soon, but we're going to have to get you settled here first!"

Eleni let out a heavy sigh.

* * *

"Is there really a need for all this stuff?"

Reever and Johnny followed behind as Eleni headed down the long dark corridor. Because of the numerous bags they carried in their hands, they struggled to keep up with her pace.

"Hurry and keep up!" snapped Eleni quickening her pace. Hemera hovered over to her as the three of them finally arrived at the door of a small room. Inside, there was a single bed made for one, a shelf filled with various books, and a small desk. There was just one window and a candle flickered on the small table placed beside the bed. Eleni sighed as she stepped inside. "I guess it'll do."

She turned to face Johnny and Reever. "You can place the bags there." she said pointing to the bed. The men nodded and wobbled over to their final destination. Trying their best not to fall over by the weight of the bags, Reever and Johnny placed them on the bed.

Johnny let out an awkward stretch as he adjusted his glasses. "Geez, why do we always get stuck doing these jobs…"

"It's better than being piled in paperwork!" explained Reever.

"You're free to leave now." commented Eleni walking over to the window. Reever and Johnny exchanged looks and headed out the door. Eleni sighed. "_How do I end up with these assignments…" _she thought.

"Knock knock!"

A cheerful voice came from the threshold. Eleni turned to see the red-haired boy from before standing with a large grin on his face. She frowned then turned back to the window. "Oh, it's you." she paused, "Laki, was it?"

"Lavi, actually." corrected the Exorcist as he entered the room. Eleni headed over to the mountain of bags piled on her bed, attempting to ignore his presence. She began to unzip her her jacket. Hemera jumped in front of her, bouncing up and down as if in disapproval.

"H-Hey!" exclaimed Lavi covering his eyes."What do you think your doin'!"

"You walked into _my _room, remember." Eleni shot a look at Lavi. "What do you want anyway?" Lavi peeked from between his fingers then slowly lowered his hands. "Just wanted to personally welcome you to Headquarters!" he replied smirking. "By the way, speaking of that uniform, don't you think it's a little much? Not that I'm complain' or anything…"

"We weren't speaking of my uniform." corrected Eleni rolling her eyes. She paused and let out a sigh, then turned to the red head. "Listen…" she said walking over to him, "I'm not looking for any friends, I'm here to carry out my assignments and that's it." At this point both her and the Exorcist were standing face to face. Lavi let out his usual confident half-smile grin. Eleni quickly turned away before he could see her blush.

"I guess I'll head out then." said Lavi smiling. "If you need anything, you know where to find me." Lavi winked and closed the door as he exited the room. Eleni crossed her arms, remaining quiet. She looked over to Hemera, whom appeared to be blushing.

"H-Hemera!" exclaimed Eleni embarrassed.

* * *

Komui stood up from the chair behind his desk and cleared his throat. "Now, let's get to the good stuff!" he began, "I have your first assignment. Isn't that great?!"

Eleni sat with her legs crossed on the couch with Hemera close by her side. Her hair was now tied in a ponytail with several curls falling loosely on her shoulder. Her jacket was unzipped, revealing her black bikini top. She appeared to be growing impatient as she awaited to hear of her assignment.

Komui walked over to the window. "You'll be headed to Avignon, a city in France!"

"Avignon?" repeated Eleni directing her gaze to Komui. He nodded. "There have been reports from the Finders in the area that sightings of Akuma are increasing. People are beginning to disappear as well."

"Sounds simple enough." replied Eleni crossing her arms.

"There's more to that, however." a dry voice came from the behind. Komui and Eleni turned to the doorway to see a much older man standing there with dark black circles around his eyes, accompanied by Lavi. Komui flashed a smile. "Why hello there Bookman. Nice of you to finally join us."

"Hey toots!" exclaimed Lavi grinning at Eleni, whom simply rolled her eyes. The old man nodded and his gaze quickly fell to Eleni. She immediately recognized him as "Bookman", an old man known for recording the hidden history of the world. She stood up from where she had been sitting. "Master Bookman."

"It's nice to see you again, Eleni." he replied walking forward. "Hold on, you know her?!" exclaimed Lavi.

"That's correct." replied Bookman, "Eleni was one of my pupils for a short amount of time, that is, before she was officially assigned to the Asian Branch." he explained.

Lavi frowned and leaned over to him. "Why didn't you ever introduce me, eh Old Panda?" he whispered. "She's a total-" Bookman twitched and sprung up in rage. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that!?" he snapped, slapping the back of Lavi's head.

Eleni blinked; Komui simply let out a cheerful laugh. Bookman finally paused from attacking his ignorant apprentice. "Allow me to explain…" he began regaining his composure, "As you know the Vatican can be found in Avignon. Therefore, we have reason to believe the Noah clan is plotting something against the Church. Several members of the Bookman clan are also located in Avignon."

"So, you want me to investigate?" asked Eleni attempting to gather all the information. Bookman shook his head. "No, we need you to stop an Akuma."

"Should be easy enough." commented Lavi crossing his hands behind his head. Bookman twitched in annoyance. "Will you listen?!" he snapped. "This is a Level 3 Akuma."

"Woah, Level 3?" gasped Lavi. Komui nodded."Needless to say, things have gotten very critical. This particular Akuma must be destroyed immediately." he added with a serious tone in his voice.

"And you want her to face this Akuma alone?!" shouted Lavi. "What about Allen?" Komui adjusted his glasses. "Allen and Lenalee have already left on their assignment to find Cross." he replied.

Lavi clenched his teeth yet Eleni still remained quiet. She appeared to be unfazed by the sudden request. "I suppose this has to do with Innocence?" she asked turning to Bookman.

"Exactly." nodded the old man. Eleni reached to her rose-colored glasses that dangled at her side. "I'll do it." she said placing them on her face.

The room filled with silence for a moment, yet was broken when Komui clapped his hands. "Just as expected by Eleni-chan!" he cheered.

"Normally we would send multiple Exorcists on this assignment…" continued Bookman, "However Eleni, since you have already defeated a Level 3 Akuma by yourself, it would seem about fair."

Lavi's jaw dropped slightly. Komui grinned to himself. "It's true. Our dear Eleni-chan is quite the renown Exorcist indeed."

"I'll leave immediately." said Eleni stepping toward the door. Hemera quickly followed behind. Komui pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Just as Eleni was halfway out the door, a now serious Lavi stepped forward.

"I'll go to."

Komui and Bookman both exchanged uneasy looks. Eleni paused and turned around slightly. "I don't _need _any help." she snapped. Lavi smiled and placed his hand on his hip. "C'mon, don't be so sour."

"I guess it can't be helped then." grinned Komui from behind his glasses. Eleni frowned and turned back around.

"Sorry, but I work alone."

* * *

The sun beamed down on the train station as people made their way on and off the elevated platform. Eleni sat on the bench examining a letter in her hand. Beside her sat several of her luggage suitcases. She narrowed her eyes as she read the text:

_Dear Eleni,_

_I'm pleased to know you've made it to the European Branch of the Black Order so quickly. Wouldn't have expected any less! I assume you've already met with Chief Komui. Lovely fellow isn't he? Anyway, at the request of your deceased master, General Yeegar, you are to continue to search for Innocence, as well of Accommodators, for the Order. Please also give my regards to Lenalee, if possible. Don't worry about any travel costs: the Order will take care of them! Good luck, Eleni-chan!_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Asian Branch Bak Chang_

Eleni leaned back on the bench and sighed. "_That man is hopeless…_" she thought. The rushing passengers continued to bypass her with their combined voices creating a senseless clamor. Eleni pondered the journey ahead. The trip to France would probably take about a weeks time from Headquarters. She began bracing herself for the long mission ahead. "The last train to Avignon leaves in 15 minutes!" blared an announcement over the crowd. "15 minutes!"

Eleni looked over to the large clock that was placed above the terminal. She stood up from the bench and began to gather her things."Let's go Hemera, we better start-"

"Hey there toots!" interrupted an all too familiar voice from behind. Eleni turned to see Lavi standing there with his usual goofy grin painted across his face. "Oh great…" she muttered. Lavi walked over and sat on the bench. He stretched back. "Gramps told me it might be good that I tag along!" he explained. "Maybe give you some help..."

"I told you I don't need help!" snapped Eleni. An awkward paused followed. Attempting to remain calm, Eleni took a deep breath then frowned. "Listen you…" she said pointing her finger in his face. "You better not get in my way, or else."

Lavi smiled dreamily. "You're really cute, you know that?" Eleni rolled her eyes in annoyance. As she continued to gather all her bags, Hemera floated over to Lavi and eyed him suspiciously. Lavi laughed. "Hey there!" he said poking her feathered wings. "Stop fooling around!" snapped Eleni. She turned her back and headed toward the terminal.

"Let's go, the train leaves in a few minutes."

* * *

**(A/N: So Eleni's left with no other choice but to work with Lavi! This should be very interesting XD. Stay tuned to find out just how this unlikely team works out!)**


	3. All Aboard!

**Chapter Three**

**"All Aboard!"**

* * *

Eleni let out a sigh as she leaned back on the soft red cushion of the seat. Lavi, meanwhile was attempting to shove all the luggage into the small compartment above, yet appeared to be having somewhat of a difficult time. The two had no trouble boarding the train whatsoever, all they had to do was simply show their emblems on their jackets. As soon as all the luggage was tucked safely above, the red head meandered his way over beside Eleni.

"So, how about you and I get to know each other more?" he said with a mischievous grin. Eleni twitched in annoyance and shoved him toward the empty seat in front of her. "You sit over there!"

Lavi frowned and slouched further into the soft cushion. He leaned his head over to the window, eyeing the setting sun over the horizon. "Don't have to be so pushy." he mumbled under his breath. Eleni crossed her legs. Her eyes suddenly began to feel heavy, which wasn't at all surprising considering she hadn't gotten much sleep the past few days. Thoughts of General Yeegar, Akuma, and the Millennium Earl flooded her mind.

"Sleepy?"

Eleni was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of the red-head's voice. She sat up straight. "N-No." she replied immediately. Lavi crossed his arms and smiled. "I do think we should get to know each other though." he said raising his eyebrows. "Tell me, what made you join the Order? And what type of Innocence do you use anyway?"

Eleni turned her face to the side. "It'd be best if we don't get into that topic."

"Oh c'mon!" whined Lavi inching forward. "Don't be so serious all the time!"

Eleni shot him an angry glare. Lavi grinned, "Alright alright." he said receding back. "I guess a little mystery makes you even more interesting."

"I'm not _trying_ to be interesting!" snapped Eleni. Lavi burst into laughter. "Calm down! It's just a joke toots!" he said holding his gut. Eleni shot up.

"And stop calling me that!"

* * *

The next several hours on the train appeared to pass by at a snail's pace. The tension in the train cart between Lavi and Eleni could be easily cut with a knife as both of them remained seated in awkward silence. It appeared to be most "awkward" for Lavi, whom continued to fidget in his seat, thinking of possible topics to strike up a conversation. After some time, Eleni could no longer stop herself from falling asleep. Soon enough her eyelids slowly closed and her head drooped to the side, her pink curls falling in her face. Hemera managed to situate herself comfortably on the Eleni's head and soon also fell asleep.

Lavi however remained wide awake. He gazed out the window observing the changing scenery that passed by in the blink of an eye. As he turned his attention back to Eleni, he noticed she was now soundly asleep. A smile crept across his face as the rays of fading sunlight reflected off the rose-colored glasses that shielded her eyes.

"_She actually looks even more cute when she's asleep._" he thought to himself resting his head on the palm of his hand. Suddenly, a loud crashing noise could be faintly heard coming from down the corridor. A tense look appeared across Eleni's face. Lavi took immediate notice of the strange noise and quietly rose from his seat. He removed his jacket and placed it over her, hoping not to disturb her sleep. He then quickly headed out the door to find out the source of the noise.

* * *

As Lavi hurried down the train's long corridor, the echo of tittering laughter grew louder and louder. "_What could it be?_" the Exorcist thought. As he passed the other private rooms of the train he began to notice that none of them seemed to be occupied. Lavi paused for a moment, choosing to peek through the glass of a particular room. Inside, various articles of clothing lay scattered on the floor surrounded by what appeared to be ashes.

"This can't be good." said Lavi, his eyes wide in fear.

"Exoooorcist…" came a creepy voice.

Lavi spun around to see himself staring right into the eyes of an Akuma. Although it appeared small, it was undoubtedly a level two weapon. It bore two large wings and had razor sharp blades protruding at it's sides. It let out a menacing laugh.

Lavi reached to his side and pulled out his size-shifting hammer. "Big Hammer, Little Hammer grow!" he chanted. The hammer increased in size. Lavi grinned and charged at the Akuma full speed. Just as the red head swung his weapon, the Akuma dodged it and disappeared from sight. There was a loud _CRASH_. As Lavi looked up, he had mistakenly broken a hole through the ceiling of the train. A gust of the harsh night wind hurled through the corridor.

Lavi quickly examined his surroundings in search of the Akuma. He jumped out of the ceiling hole and onto the outside roof of the speeding train.

"You missed!" chimed the Akuma. Lavi turned to see the Akuma floating above. "Why don't you hold still!" Lavi said grinning.

The battle continued, yet as hard as Lavi tried he couldn't land a single hit. The Akuma was far too fast. The fight wore on. Lavi jumped up and dodged the attack of the creature effortlessly but began to soon grow tired. He attempted to catch his breath. Within a few seconds of letting his guard down, however, the Akuma disappeared and reappeared right behind him. It sliced Lavi at his side, causing him to fall onto the floor.

Lavi gripped his side and looked up to see the Akuma was now above him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack. "Hold it right there!" shouted a voice. Lavi opened his eyes to see Eleni standing just a few feet away. The Akuma turned around to face her. "What?!" it sneered. "Another Exorcist?"

"Allow me to set your soul free." said Eleni peeking from behind her red glasses. The Akuma launched forward, "You think you can stop me Exorcist?!"

"Eleni!" cried Lavi. "Move!"

"Innocence…Activate."

A large ray of light beamed down from the dark sky. The Akuma immediately stopped in it's tracks as a large glowing sword appeared in Eleni's hand. She closed her eyes and ran her index finger along the blade of the sword. "Claiomh Solais, lead me your power!" she shouted sprinting toward the creature.

"Light Blast!"

The sword now became a long beam of sparkling light. Lavi shielded his eyes for protection. Eleni launched at the monster whom was still paralyzed by the bright radiance. She sliced it in half and a large explosion clouded the air. Seconds later, the light began to fade. As it dimmed, Lavi's eyes shot open, "What the-?!" he gasped. Eleni stood with her back facing him.

"That was incredible!" exclaimed Lavi. Eleni turned slightly around when she noticed his presence. She paused for a moment. "Let's get out of here." she said turning to face him completely. Lavi tried to sit up, however the pain from the attack caused him to crouch down holding onto his side. Eleni took notice of the wound and rushed over to him. She swung his arm around her shoulder. "Why didn't you call me?!" she snapped.

A small grin appeared on Lavi's face, yet his face still seemed to be tense with pain. "I…I didn't want to wake you." he replied. Eleni rolled her eyes and helped him up. "Idiot." she said under her breath.

* * *

Eleni and Lavi carefully climbed back inside the train and slowly made their way to the cabin. Eleni sat Lavi down on cushioned seat. "Hemera, where is the aid kit?" she asked searching around the cabin. Hemera floated to the small compartment above the seats. Eleni nodded and quickly opened the luggage compartment, eventually pulling out a suitcase. She set it down on the empty seat and sifted through the various items until she found some bandages.

Lavi looked over to her. "I'm fine! Don't worry!" he protested. Eleni ignored him and proceeded to examine the wound further. She knelt down in front of him."You were hurt pretty bad." she commented rubbing her chin. "Not very impressive." she said shaking her head.

"Hey! That Akuma was pretty fast!" defended Lavi angrily. Eleni laughed, "Are you getting mad?" she teased lifting his shirt. "W-Watch, it hurts…" he said flinching slightly. Eleni began to bandage him up, sealing the wound. "Don't be a baby." She then placed her hand against his body to reassure the bandages were secure. She then hesitated, "_He's… so warm." _she thought, blushing slightly.

"Everything alright?" asked Lavi with a mischievous smile. Eleni shook her head and stood back up, "You're fine!" she snapped as she walked over to the other seat. Lavi smiled dreamily. "Thanks." he said lowly. Eleni reached over and pulled his jacket out from behind the bag. "Here." she said tossing it onto his lap. "We're even I guess."

Lavi grinned as he proceeded to put the jacket back on. Eleni looked out of the window and noticed the speed of the train seemed to have increased. She narrowed her eyes and turned around, walking toward the door. "Where are you going?" asked Lavi confused. Eleni placed her hand on the door, "I need to check something." She turned to Hemera. "Hemera, watch him." And with that said, she disappeared from the two. Lavi shrugged and began poking at his wound softly.

Eleni rushed down the long corridor. She too, had noticed many of the cabins were empty in the passenger car. Could it be possibly that her and Lavi were the only ones on the train? If so, who was steering? As she approached the cab of the conductor, she reached for the handle.

"Hello?" she called pushing the door which was surprisingly left open. Eleni gasped as she realized there was no one to be found. Flashing red lights blinked and various "alert" noises filled the room. It was no doubt. No one was conducting the train. If it continued to increase it's speed, both her and Lavi would be done for. Eleni fled the room and ran back to the cabin.

She quickly reappeared back inside the room. "Everything okay?" asked Lavi looked up. "We need to get out of here." replied Eleni calmly as she began gathering her things. Lavi sat up straight in his seat. "What's going on?" he asked once more. Eleni turned over to him with a serious look in her eyes,"No one's driving this train." she said simply. Lavi shot up. "_WHAAT?!_"

Eleni turned to Hemera, "We're going to need to find a way off right away." Hemera nodded; Lavi, however, began to panic. "Where do we go!? What do you mean no one's driving!? We're going to die!" he cried. Eleni shot a look of annoyance at him, "Calm down!" she snapped. "We'll be okay! We just need to get off _now_!"

As she finished gathering the important belongings, she quickly grasped her sword that was now wrapped in cloth. She swung it over her shoulder and turned back over to the frantic Lavi. "Can you stand?" she asked eyeing his side. Lavi jumped up as if restored to perfect health. "I'll be good! Let's just get out of here!" he replied. Eleni nodded and the two quickly made their way out of the cabin. As they approached the end of the car, Eleni pulled the sliding door open. A gust of wind nearly knocked them over. They now stood between the high speed train and the hard ground below.

Eleni eye's widened. "How will we-"

"Allow me!" interrupted Lavi stepping forward. He reached to his side and pulled out his hammer. Eleni pouted, "A hammer?" she replied unimpressed. Lavi grinned."You might want to hold on." he boldly grabbed her waist and pulled her in closer to him. Hemera buried herself inside the inner pocket of her jacket. Eleni turned red, "W-What are you-"

"Big hammer, little hammer extend!"

The small hammer now extended and Lavi and Eleni launched out of the train and into the sky. Eleni gripped Lavi tightly, simply out of fear of falling to her death below. The red head, however, seemed to be quite amused at her reaction. After adjusting to the unusual mode of transportation, Eleni began to actually enjoy herself. She beamed with excitement as she looked down to the carpet of forestry that spread across the land. Lavi looked over to her and studied her expression. It was one in which he hadn't seen before, so he couldn't help but stare.

"What are you looking at?" snapped Eleni drawing him out of his fantasy. Her eyebrows were raised and she had a look of suspicion on her face. "Oh nothing!" grinned Lavi nervously.

* * *

Lavi stretched as both him and Eleni stood in an open green pasture. He inhaled the crisp night air. Eleni meanwhile looked down studying a piece of parchment that appeared to be a map. "Well Hemera, looks like we're still several miles from Avignon."

Lavi peeked over her shoulder. "Looks like we'll have some time to spend alone together…" he said with a sly grin. Eleni's eyebrow twitched slightly. The very thought of traveling several more feet with "perv" boy caused her to cringe. Lavi placed his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should-" Eleni clenched her fist and cocked her arm back, letting out a powerful punch and sending Lavi airborne. "Will you stay away!" she shouted.

...

Lavi rubbed his head as he trailed behind her and Hemera. "Geez, what made you so violent." he whined.

"I don't like being touched." replied Eleni through clenched teeth as they both made thier way down the dirt road. Lavi pouted. He then eyed the sword Eleni now carried in a sling on her back. He blinked, "Hey, so why do you have that sword-thing _now_?" he asked pointing to the object.

"It isn't a 'sword-thing'." twitched Eleni. "It's called Claiomh Solais." she corrected. Lavi scratched his head. "So…that's your Innocence."

"Yes." replied Eleni. "After I activate it, it transforms into the concrete Equipment type." Lavi crossed his hands behind his head. "Well.. that's pretty cool!" He let out a cheerful laugh which caused Eleni to flinch. "It amazes me how Master Bookman accepted you as an apprentice…" she muttered under her breath.

The end of the road eventually led to a cliff overlooking a small town in the distance. Both Lavi and Eleni came to a halt as they looked out to the sleepy-looking village. "Looks peaceful enough." commented Lavi. "Nothing's ever peaceful with the Millennium Earl lurking around." replied Eleni narrowing her eyes.

Lavi turned to face her and grinned,"Well, shall we-" Eleni immediately turned her face. "Let's go Hemera." she said walking forward. "H-Hey! Wait up!" called the red head as he ran after her.


End file.
